Re: Do not do it!

I need more information from you Babak to discuss this with my psychiatrist. The problems you describe about how Buprenorphine made you more lethargic; these are the same symptoms that make taking an opiate necessary for me. I have terrible lethargy and concentration problems including self neglect. This has literally been my entire life. Vicodin didnt make these problems go away, but it opened a door of possibilities that I could work around these problems, and it did make many of them better. However, I can not get Vicodin legally, and do not want to put my faith in an insecure black-market. Buprenorphine is not nearly as good as Vicodin, but with some symptom management it has the real possibility to help with my concentration and lethargy problems. Given a choice I would much more prefer to take hydrocodone or another more natural opiate; they are obviously more effective and side effect free, but it has taken me forever just to find a Doctor who will give me Buprenorphine. If I am going to get him to help me get a natural opiate; I need much more information from you than the links you have given provide.

First, I need a much more detailed description of the symptoms you began to have after 2 years, and the way in which they came about. If you were on Suboxone for depression, how were the symptoms of lethargy you had before you started the drug different from the symptoms you had when the drug began to go bad on you. How did the drug itself feel before it began to go bad for you?

Second, are there any studies that show how many people taking Suboxone have had it have these negative effects after 2 years, OR are there sites with many people who were on Suboxone (not just one or two) telling their stories of how after 2 years the drug started to have these effects.

Third, when I try to get psychiatrists to give me opiates to help my depression I use the Harvard Bodkin study of 1995. Are there any studies, or case studies, that use natural opiates like Vicodin? Not for substance abuse, but literally for mental health problems like depression.

Right now, through legal channels the only way to get an opiate or opioid to help my depression is to get Suboxone, and even that is very hard. Vicodin was so much better for my symptoms than Buprenorphine, but Legally Buprenorphine is all that is available to me. Yes, the drug war Sucks. It sucks not only for me, but for elderly people in chronic pain whos doctors cut them off Vicodin or morphine, because they are scared of addiction, this is the most ridiculous thing I can imagine. In my case, it drives me nuts that drugs that can give you permanent loss of muscle control, and adult diabetes (antipsychotics), or procedures that can give you permanent memory loss or brain damage (ECT) are considered safe while opiates are considered unsafe because of addiction. Especially ridiculous since when treating a chronic problem youd be taking it on a regular basis anyway. However, if I am to convince my now open-minded doctor that Suboxone is dangerous, and that we must switch to a natural opiate; I need more data. Given the choice between Buprenorphine and nothing I have to go with Buprenorphine.